


4 shots of espresso, and you.

by Hyuckleberries



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Help, Hyuck believes in fanny packs, Jaemin likes coffee, Jeno is tired, Jeno not so much, Jenos cats make an appearance, M/M, Minor yuwin, Platonic NoHyuck, Renjun is sassy, Shitty writing tbh, Yuwin are too cute, coffee shop AU, nomin, tags will change with the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-07-25 04:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16190345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyuckleberries/pseuds/Hyuckleberries
Summary: "Are you really not going to tell me what your name is?" Jeno tried again."Nope" He said, popping the 'p' eyes shining like an overly excited toddler."You have to guess""How on earth am I supposed to- you know what."Jeno let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples"I'm too tired for this, just sit"(Or Jeno, a Starbucks barista is amused one day by a certain pink headed stranger that orders literal death in a cup.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love nomin way too much.. which is why this happened...  
> Also this is based off of a tweet that I saw so shout out to that person i can't remember the name of <3  
> This is also (obviously) heavily inspired by nana's extremely dangerously stupid coffee habit. Pls kids don't try this at home you could die.

It was just after midnight.  
He didn't know why he agreed to work the night shift, but he did. 

He disliked it, staying up till god knows what hour serving coffee to stressed out college students (who should probably work on better time management), and the occasional high schooler who felt like making Jeno's life that much harder by wanting to feel the thrill of late night caffeine just for the hell of it. 

But he disliked being broke even more.  
Which is why he was here, on a Friday night, where most teenagers his age were either getting high or drunk or both, with nothing but the infuriating aroma of coffee and baked goods and the soft rumble of olden music worsening his hazy vision. 

A soft chime in the far end of the room rang out and Jeno snapped out of the trance he had been put in by the atmosphere. 

Jeno watched as the customer walked past a few college students, who had come in to finish up homework or some last minute studying (but were now drooling into their empty coffee cups), as noiselessly as was possible in a tiny cafè with cluttered furniture. 

And as the boy neared the counter Jeno was currently handling, with as much energy as he could muster, he tried his best to give the customer that just broke his peace a smile. 

You know, for the customer service and all that. 

Apparently it came out more of a grimace though, if the customer wincing slightly was anything to go by. 

But he was greeted back with a blinding smile none the less which just made him feel even worse because who in their right mind had the energy to smile so enthusiastically at this time of the night? 

"Hey" the boy said, with too much energy. He was still smiling. 

His voice was deep, which came as some what of a shock to Jeno as it was contradicting his soft features and baby pink hair. _Holy shit his hair was pink. Like entirely pink._

____

"Your hair is pink." 

Wide eyed now, Jeno voiced his thoughts, because of course his brain to mouth filter wouldn't work when he's up at ass o clock and drenched of all emotions and a pretty boy was staring into his very soul. 

The boys lips twitched a little and he arched his eyebrows in amusement before replying,  
"Yes. Yes it is." 

"It's cool. I like it" 

"Thank you..?" It came out more as a question than a reply and Jeno merely nodded before opting to stare at the boy a little more, studying his features (a thing that, if his brain wasn't so sleepy he would never have done). 

He had twinkling eyes and a small nose. Everything about the boy screamed **soft** and Jeno couldn't help but smile.

********

He was snapped out of a trance for the second time that night by the sound of a slight cough from the boy opposite him. 

_Oh shit_  
Jeno inwardly cursed himself as he realised that he was probably being a creep right then. 

____

"Umm sorry. What- what would you like to order?" 

He tried to regain his cool but the giant smirk on the other boy's face told him he failed. 

"Well since you finally asked, I'll have an iced americano, just ice no water, venti sized, and oh, add 4 shots of espresso if you don't mind please, thanks." He said in one breath finishing with yet another dazzling smile, while Jeno stared at him, mouth slightly ajar because damn, if that's what he had all the time then it was no wonder the boy had so much energy. 

"So, am I just that pretty or do you stare at all your customers like that?" 

Jeno felt his cheeks flush before stuttering out a quick apology for the second time, before he added  
"A drink like that could probably kill you, you know" as an after thougt. 

To which the boy let out a soft chuckle and Jeno's heart literally melted into a puddle because damn that was a cute laugh. One that he definitely wouldn't mind hearing again and again.  
_Focus Jeno_

____

"Well what's life without a little bit of thrill?"  
Pink boy asked, grin never once faltering. 

"You're a strange one." Jeno said, voice hiding a smile. 

"So I've been told." 

This time it was Jeno's turn to raise an amused eyebrow. This boy really was something else. 

"You gonna give me a name for your cup or am I gonna have to guess?" 

"Hmmm" the boy feigned thought before replying, "Why don't you guess?" with a quick flash of pearly white. 

Not for the first time that night, Jeno was taken aback, eyebrows scrunched in confusion because was cute boy - (when did his brain start calling the stranger 'cute boy') - really about to make him guess his name at this ungodly hour of the night? 

"I was kidding" 

"Well I, was not" 

"What?"  
He raised an eyebrow. 

"Guess my name" another flash of white and Jeno knew he was screwed. 

A few moments passed and the boy just merely stared at him - didn't his cheeks hurt by smiling that much?

"Are you really not going to tell me what your name is?" Jeno tried again. 

"Nope" He said, popping the 'p' eyes shining like an overly excited toddler.  
"You have to guess" 

"How on earth am I supposed to- you know what."  
Jeno let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples  
"I'm too tired for this, just sit" 

The boy pouted a little but obliged after paying and Jeno couldn't help but notice how really fricking adorable he looked when he did that. 

He quickly scribbled something down on the cup before stepping back to make the coffee - if it could even be called that. 

"I'll be right back" He said to the boy. 

Said boy shot him yet another of his infuriatingly attractive smiles before nodding in response.

As he made the concoction, Jeno couldn't help but wonder how any functioning human could drink this.  
It was literal **death** in a cup.  
Then again, cute boy probably wasn't human with the amount of energy he seemed to have.  
As he filled the cup with ice he couldn't help but feel a little worried for this boys health.

********

********

"Don't forget the shots of espresso" the boy at the counter reminded him.

"Don't worry, I won't" He shot back, and slightly winced as he poured it in. 

He turned around to the boy staring at him and he felt his face heat up a little before he shook his head and walked up to the counter. 

He handed the boy the drink, fingers slightly brushing, and he had to fight the blush that threatened to creep up his neck and expose him.  
This was exhausting, Jeno thought to himself. 

A quick "Thankyou" was thrown by the boy and before Jeno could even reply, he was forced to watch in horror as the boy downed the entire thing in one go, no second thoughts, no pauses, no flinches at how cold and bitter the beverage was, nothing. 

And if Jeno was concerned about his health before, he was absolutely terrified now. 

Jeno knew he was staring, but this time, he really didn't care - and after what he just witnessed, he was entitled to do so anyway.  
He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something - the only problem being; he had no idea what.  
Because really, what exactly do you say to a person who drinks huge cups of materialised death as though it was nothing? 

So he opted to silence. Furrowing his eyebrows instead, he merely stared at the boy, question clear on his face. 

Cute boy finally noticed Jeno and looked up. Raising his eyebrows

"What?" 

"What do you mean 'what'?" Jeno huffed

"I mean why are you staring at me like I just committed murder or something" He asked, eyebrows arched in either confusion or amusement, Jeno was too tired to decipher. 

"Well considering you could have killed yourself in the process of drinking that without breaks, I think my staring at you like you committed murder is called for, don't you?" He asked, expression matching cute boy's. 

"Touchè." Cute boy relaxed his features letting out a small chuckle,  
"Well, I gotta go. See you around-" he looked at Jeno's name tag, "- Lee Jeno." 

"Well that's unfair." 

"That's life. Maybe next time." He left with a wink and one last smile leaving behind a baffled barista - (who, all things considered, felt considerably lighter and maybe a tiny (huge) bit happier) 

If Jeno left work that night thinking of a certain cotton candy haired customer with a smile that rivalled the sun all the way back to his apartment, well then that was his business. 

And if said boy smiled at the cup that had the words 'Infuriating cotton candy stranger', a tad too long before washing it out and saving it on his dressing table, that was on him. 

Jaemin didn't usually go to coffee houses all that much. But maybe a certain barista with tired smiling eyes and a habit of staring too much would change that in the days to come.


	2. Filler - Jeno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was originally gonna be a small story of just jaemin and his coffee habits wooing Jeno but then I got carried away and now there's a whole back story for Jeno (and quite possibly jaemin too) and cats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST OF ALL, I'm so sorry I took such a long ass time!! I've been having writers block and well I've also been drowning in assignments but I really wanted to post something and then this was born...  
> This was a filler but it's kinda sorta essential to the plot.... maybe.. I'm not sure where this story is going I'm so sorry.  
> If you were looking for a one shot of nana and his coffee habits, this ain't it.  
> (Count how many times I use the word "exasperated" ndisjsjsjs)

Jeno woke up the next day when he felt tiny pebbles hit his forehead, his best friend's face staring at him through the window.  
Had he not been used to this lunacy, he'd probably have screamed loud enough to wake up the rest of the apartment (as he did the first time Donghyuck did this)  
It sort of became a ritual after that, and even to this day he'll never really fully understand why Hyuck couldn't just knock on the front door like a normal person; but he learned not to question it as he'd seen the boy do alot of other.. strange things, making this seem like mild behaviour, normal even. 

Jeno lived on the very first floor of a small apartment building with graffitied walls and shabby looking windows. It wasn't the nicest of places, but with only his necessary food and school expenses being covered by his parents and the salary of a barista, he couldn't do much about it except decorate the walls with Polaroids of his friends and small potted plants on the extremely unstable balcony (which Hyuck stubbornly insisted on climbing into every morning despite the fact it could crumble at any given minute) to make the place more homely. 

It was a single bedroomed flat with a joint bathroom.  
He didn't know where the living room ended and the kitchen began but feeble things like that didn't really matter to him anyway. 

All he really cared about was Dance.  
He practiced until his limbs ached and kept pushing his boundaries until he could push no more, he was certainly one of the hardest working boys out there, he had dreams to achieve after all. He was going to make something big out of his dancing ability; despite what his parents thought, he knew he'd make it eventually if he just worked hard enough, with Donghyuck, being not only his bestest friend, but his number one supporter as well, walking him through every single step Jeno took. He loved and adored hyuck with his very being, even if the honey skinned male was a little (alot) hard to handle at times. 

Right now being one of those times.  
It was 8 am on a Saturday morning and all Jeno wanted to do was sleep until the sun went back down so that he could sleep some more.  
But of course Donghyuck would ruin his plans, disrupting his dreams about killer tomatoes (that may or may not have had pink hair and button noses) reigning terror and destruction on everything Jeno loves- he vaguely considered visiting a therapist.  
Pushing all thoughts of vicious tomatoes out of his head, he stumbled out of bed, his mind set on strangling the boy outside his window.  
Jeno reluctantly picks up his pace as the rapping on his window grows louder, more urgent. Worry etches his features for a quick second, but it's gone as soon as it came, a mingle of amusement and horror (and something else he can't quite put his finger on) replacing the emotion as soon as he saw his best friend. 

Donghyuck, in all his glory, was standing outside, holding a basket, (a basket he somehow hadn't noticed earlier).  
And in it, was not one, but three of the fluffiest kittens Jeno had ever seen.  
Now don't get him wrong, Jeno absolutely adored animals, kittens were no exception. The thing was, Jeno was allergic to cats, deadly so.  
So you could say he was more than a little confused as to why his best friend would bring cats out of all animals to his already squished up apartment. 

"Hyuck what were you thinking?!" Jeno all but screams as the auburn haired boy climbs into his apartment. 

"Bold of you to assume I was thinking"  
Donghyuck has the audacity to snort. 

After he's done adjusting himself and his basket, Jeno shoves his shoulder and let's out an exasperated groan.

Donghyuck sighs, drops his playful facade and continues,  
"They were just left on the road to starve Jeno, to STARVE!! You know I couldn't just leave them there." Donghyuck rants,  
a pleading look mixed with a hint of frustration and what seems like tiredness painting his features, and it's all Jeno needs to be convinced into looking after the cats, but he doesn't let Donghyuck know that, of course.

"I know that Hyuckie, I do, but really this apartment's small as it is, plus I'm allergic. How are we going to keep them here?"  
He asks, putting on the fakest sad expression he could muster. 

Donghyuck pouts, but then straightens up, getting ready for his battle. 

"Lee Jeno," he starts, trauma etched on every one of his features and Jeno fights to hold back a laugh, 

"do you mean to tell me, that you, **you** out of all people, are refusing, out right **refusing** to help me, your best friend and sole supporter of every shenanigan you've ever thought of, take care of these three precious small tiny adorable fluffy little kittens?"

He lifts the basket lid all the way up as though for emphasis, and continued, ignoring the few sneezes Jeno let out,

"Kittens that would have been trod on and possibly even eaten if I hadn't taken them into custody? Kittens that would have been **dead** had I not heroically stepped in and saved them? Is that how it is now? Suddenly you're allergic to cats and everything else doesn't matter? This is why the society is crumbling," Donghyuck emphasizes each syllable with a clap and continues, 

"I'm appalled Lee Jeno. Absolutely appalled, flabbergasted even. My very own best friend. Who knew he would be this soulless. This is devastating. You thought you could trust-" 

at this point, Jeno's mirth won him over and Donghyuck's ranting stops as he amusingly watches Jeno double over in laughter (sneezing ever so often making the entire ordeal even more comical). 

"I'm s-sorry" he wheezes between laughs.

"Y-Your face. Man," sneeze, "you really thought I wasn't going to help you huh?" He ends with another sneeze and a last laugh, going so far as to wipe a fake tear from his eyes.

Donghyuck's rolling his eyes at him now but a second later his face stretches into a large grin, nose scrunched and face glowing and Jeno can't help but let out another fond little chuckle at how happy he looks. 

"I prepared a whole speech you know" Donghyuck confesses, pouting, yet his eyes were dancing with mirth. 

"I know" Jeno replies, eye smile in tow

"I had practiced face expressions and everything, I was even going to do a whole thing where I stand on top of your chair and like point at you and scream ' **SHAME!!** '" the auburn haired boy finishes with a booming voice that echoes around the apartment and Jeno is definitely glad he cut him off before he actually could. 

Jeno looks at the boy with a half amused expression, eyebrows arched at his 'dramatic flair' (Donghyuck's words not his).  
If not for the pink haired stranger lingering at the back of his mind, Lee Donghyuck would be the death of him. 

Two hours later finds the two of them sprawled across Jeno's living room floor, the kittens _everywhere _.__

____

__

Two of them, Seol and Nal, (Jeno with a little bit of help from Hyuck named them) manages to climb inside Donghyuck's shirt and the other atop a violently sneezing Jeno's head; both boys wheezing with laughter and amusement. 

Maybe taking care of them won't be that bad, Jeno thinks to himself as Bongsik, courtesy of Hyuck, -  
(Jeno had fought for the right to name all three, 

"They're going to be living with me anyway!" He had reasoned, 

"Yes, but it was me who found them!" Hyuck had argued back.

The squabble had gone back and forth for what felt like eternity until they finally decided on Jeno naming one and Hyuck naming one and both of them together naming the last.) - 

,nuzzles against his hair, causing said boy to sneeze once again and ruffles the creature on his head's fur before smiling fondly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my readers who actually like this story and are waiting for some nomin action;  
> I'm so sorry for this bullshit pls don't stop reading <3  
> Also tell me if anything needs to be changed pls I haven't beta read this (what's new tbh) anndddddd if your'll don't like the way the plot is going pls pls let me know? <3 
> 
> (I'm also thinking of making this norenmin? Idrk yet how do yourll feel?)
> 
> Constructive criticism and kudos and comments make me happy <3


	3. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyuck wears a fanny pack and Jeno just wants to disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies <3 I'm back from the dead..  
> I'm SO SORRY your'll had to wait so long for me to update this... the thing is, I did NOT like the way this chapter really came out.. so it's been sitting in my notes for a while but I've had too much of a writers block to actually change this sooooo Happy Spook Day! Here's this piece of garbage as your treat for being amazing <3 
> 
> ALSO I switched between perspectives bc that's how it be sometimes.. lmk if it's confusing so I'll stop doing it.. :))

The next time Jeno saw cute pink haired boy, he sincerely wished he hadn't. 

It started like this; 

Jeno sat across the cafe counter, Donghyuck by his side, a god awful green and brown striped fanny pack - a large one at that - hanging on his front, Bongsik, Seol and Nal dangling dangerously out of it ;  
Yuta and Sicheng - Jeno's co-workers and the runners of the current shift - taking turns to make jabs at Hyuck's get up all the while shamelessly flirting with each other. 

Jeno had spent hours trying to resonate with Hyuck about his.. fashion choices. Although, like (almost) every other time they argue, Jeno had given in to Donghyuck's stubbornness, and allowed the fanny pack.

"They're my children!" 

Donghyuck had screamed, 

"I need to carry them everywhere I go because that's what good parents do!" 

Donghyuck had huffed,

"Plus a fanny pack is really convenient, not to mention it looks really cute and trendy so it's like, a bonus! - don't even try to argue with me Lee Jeno you know you'll lose.  
Plus it's a great conversation starter."  
The boy had concluded, wiggling his eyebrows.

Donghyuck had lost all sense of sanity and was pushing Jeno to lose his too. 

So he had decided to drop it and let Hyuck.. be Hyuck. 

The familiar soft sound of tingling bells snap Jeno out of his reverie and oh how he wishes he pushed Hyuck to listen to common sense now that he saw a familiar bob of pink hair walk through the entrance, a shorter bob of brown following closely. 

Being too emerged in conversation, pink haired stranger and his friend hadn't seemed to notice either Jeno, Donghyuck or the kittens. 

_'Good'_ Jeno thought to himself. 

_'Maybe I can quietly sneak out.. he wouldn't even notice.'_

Jeno wasn't quite sure why he was reluctant to let pink haired boy see him. Perhaps it had more to do with nerves and less with what he thought, to do with being seen with Hyuck and his 'children-carrier' (as he had gotten round to calling it.) 

His luck seems to have failed him though, as the next thing he knows, Jeno's being dragged behind the counter, apron haphazardly slipped onto him, yuta incoherently mumbling about how his break had ended a whole 5 minutes ago. 

Jeno scowls but schools his features into something neutral as the two reach the counter, still emerged in conversation Jeno's too polite to eavesdrop on.

\---

"Shit! Quick! Pretend like we're having a heated conversation." 

"Jaemin what-"

"I'll explain later just please!" 

Jaemin's pouting now and Renjun rolls his eyes, but obliges anyway.  
Pushing the heavy doors open as he blabbers about absolutely anything and everything that comes into his head with his - he's sure of it - mentally deranged friend.

They walk up to the counter to order their drinks. For a split second, Jaemin's eyes land on Jeno, (who's wishing the floor would just swallow him whole). 

Renjun orders a modest cappuccino with extra cream, 

_fitting_ Jeno thinks 

Jaemin holds a slight smirk, as he looks Jeno in the eye, 

"-and I'll have a venti sized ic-" 

"-Iced americano, just ice no water, four shots of espresso. The death drink. Right?"  
Jeno cuts Jaemin off with a raised eyebrow and Jaemins breath hitches slightly before he chuckles. 

"Right." 

At this point, Renjun's just as confused as Donghyuck is. 

\--

As Renjun watches the encounter, confusion on his face visible, because,  
_does jaemin know this barista?_  
he shifts his gaze to get a better view of his taller friend, and a hideous smidge of green and brown enters the corner of his peripheral. 

Flabbergasted, he turns his head completely, eyes landing on a boy with honey skin and rainbow highlights. 

And if that hadn't been enough to get his interest brewing, he notices the fanny pack (apparently the source of the ugly colors that made his head turn), the kittens inside it, one of them purring against the boys palm and he snorts. 

The boy must have heard him snort, [he curses himself internally but doesn't break his facade] because now he's looking up at renjun with wide eyes,  
_like a baby deer_ Renjun finds himself thinking. 

"Do we have a problem here, buddy?" 

_so he's the fiesty type. Oh this is gonna be fun_

Renjun smirks. 

"None at all" He fakes a smile, "Well, unless we take into account the hate crime that is your fanny pack - though that's less of a problem, more of a disaster" He deadpans, sounding almost bored, but mirth behind his eyes betraying him. 

The boys eyes flash something unknown before he speaks again, scowl placed upon his features, he archs an eyebrow. 

"Ever heard of fashion?"

"Ever heard of hideous objects that need to be made illegal?" renjun counters without missing a beat. 

"I KNOW you did not just call my child carrier hideous." The boy, now carrying two of the kittens against his chest, looks at him scandalised.

Renjun struggles to fight back the smile trying to betray him as he shrugs, as if to say, 'it is what it is man.'  
And then backtracks  
_did he really just call that-_

The sound of a bell ringing urgently interrupts renjun before he could voice his question, and all he could do was arch an inquisitory eyebrow at the boy for his choice of words before he's being dragged away by a giggling Jaemin to get a table, his cappuccino magically finding it's way into his hands. 

\--

A tense moment of silence rung through the room, before 

"What the hell was that?" 

Unbeknownst to them, four voices manages to question the exact same thing at the exact same moment in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope your'll enjoyed that! Pls I swear I'm better at writing than this I'm so sorry if I let your'll down :( <3 
> 
> Anywho, comments and kudos make me happy (tho I'm pretty sure I don't deserve them for this one) 
> 
> I'll make it up in to urll in the next chapter! 
> 
> I love your'll <3


	4. "What the hell was that?" (1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyuck finds out about the crush(?) Jeno has on Jaemin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My post schedules are whack. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk I appreciate all of your'll <3

"What the hell was that?", Donghyuck and Jeno manages at the same time after the two get their order and leave to find a table. 

"I asked you first!" another chorus of voices and Jeno sighs. Curse best friend telepathy. 

"Okay, well, maybe that customer, the one with the pink hair, has come in before now, and maybe I kinda stared at him way longer than the average barista normally would." the tip of Jeno's ears turn a bright shade of pink as he confesses, and he doesn't have to look up from the coffee he's brewing as he speaks to know that his best friend is smirking at him right now, thank god yuta isn't here to witness this.

"Dude." Donghyuck seems to have difficulties in controlling his laughter. "Not gonna lie that's kinda creepy." Jeno scowls as he shoves at Donghyucks shoulder, clearly not hard enough to shut him up because hyuck's started laughing yet again.

"Yeah well you try looking else where when a pretty boy, with hair _and_ teeth brighter than your future stands right in front of you." Jeno defends with a huff mixing what seems to be sugar, and its all Donghyuck can do to not coo.

Adamant as he was on making Jeno's life a living hell (it came with the best friend package), Donghyuck couldn't help but throw another teasing snicker his way before replying,  
"Well damn, you don't even know the kid yet he still manages to get you whipped. Never in my life have I seen a more hopeless case than you, Jeno Lee.", he concludes with as solemn an expression he can muster and it earns him an exasperated scoff from Jeno and a well deserved whack to his shoulder. 

"Oh shut up Hyuck! It's not like you're any better!" jeno retorts and donghyuck lets out a strangled noise, seemingly insulted.

"Never in my life-"

"The tiny brunette that came in with Cute Guy." Jeno slaps a hand to his mouth, dropping his teaspoon, the moment the words leave his lips and curses internally for slipping up like that. 

Donghyuck wiggles his eyebrows aggressively and Jeno wants to cry.

"Cute guy, huh?" 

"He didn't give me his name and it's the only thing my 1 am brain could think of to call him at the time, let me breathe." , he reasons with a huff, rinsing off the spoon.  
"And you didn't answer my question.", he adds as he finishes preparing the coffee. 

Donghyuck arches an amused eyebrow and smirks, "what ever you say" before he rolls his eyes,  
"And your question wasn't really a question either." he takes a sip of the drink Jeno had just set out for him and winces as he burns his tongue. Jeno chuckles as he curses

"That's what you get for trying to be a smart ass." Jeno decides with a satisfied grin and Donghyuck glares at him through messy bangs before he sighs.

"He insulted my fashion style and i had to put him in his place." Donghyuck shrugs nonchalantly and if jeno didn't know any better he'd have left it at that.   
But this Jeno we're talking about, Jeno who knows Donghyuck and his expressions like the back of his hand. And so the (slightly) older boy scoffs, unimpressed.

"Oh please, Hyuck. I've seen that look on you before, you're definitely curious if not interested.' he states, eyeing the boy in front of him.

"Perhaps." Donghyuck smiles around his coffee cup (making sure to blow on it before he takes a sip)   
"But someone just _had_ to ruin our conversation with the aggressive ringing of a bell, didn't they" he concludes almost dejectedly and Jeno swears he sees Hyuck glaring at him for a quick second before it's gone.

"I panicked okay! I'm sorry" Jeno relents, because he is.

Donghyuck shakes his head, "It's fine" he mumbles, and then he's changing the topic, 

"Anyway, that's enough about me! Now let's get you-" 

He's cut off by Jeno frowning, "Hey but we just started on you!"

"Too bad." he flicks Jeno's forehead and continues.

As I was _saying_ " Donghyuck ignores Jeno's grumbles (he always does) "How about we go get you a date?" Hyuck wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Jeno chokes on a large bite of biscuit. 

Once he regains his composure, he flings the remnant of the biscuit at the boy in front of him ("Mature Jeno, real mature." Donghyuck scoffs picking the crumbs off his clothes) before he sniffs, and lets out a sneeze - one of the kittens having climbed the counter to get closer to Jeno and his cookie stash (he had completely forgotten about the cats until now.) 

"No." 

"No?"

"No. Absolutely not. I don't know a single thing about this dude!"

"Exactly my point!" 

Donghyuck turns around in his seat, Jeno following his gaze, and sure enough they see the two are still here, sitting in the far corner of the cafe still in eye range but, (thankfully) out of ear shot. They're done with their beverages but don't really seem as though they'd leave any time soon, immersed in conversation, loud laughs filling the empty silence and Jeno wants to hear that laugh everyday. He also can't help but briefly wonder if they're a couple. He banishes the thought immediately though as he finds it leaves him in a bitter state and he doesn't quite know what to do with that.   
He snaps out of his thoughts as he hears Donghyuck sigh.

"Man, at least go talk to the guy. This silent pining is painful to watch." 

"What silent pining pfttt what no one's pining over anyone" Jeno flounders and Donghyuck resists the urge to smack him, he settles for petting one of the kittens as he glares at Jeno instead.

"Just _go_ or I will not hesitate to call him over here." His tone is determined and Jeno knows he's lost. 

But that still doesn't stop the dumbass from saying, "you wouldn't dare" 

"Try me." Donghyuck sends him a glare, and Jeno gives up. 

He walks around the corner, shooting Donghyuck a dirty look (to which the boy replies with an exaggerated smile and a thumbs up while mouthing "good luck") as he makes his way to the table the two boys are sitting at. 

It's as he gets closer that Jeno realizes the boys are having an argument of some sort and decides to turn back, only he can't, because the brunette seems to have spotted him and calls him over, giving his friend a pointed look that goes unnoticed by Jeno who seems way too interested in his shoe laces as he completes the walk to their table. 

"Hey" he says lamely as he gets to the table, and he hears both, the brunette and Donghyuck (where on earth did he come from) trying, and so obviously failing, to stifle their giggles. 

Oh boy was he going to regret listening to Hyuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed <3   
> Honestly I'm not too sure how i feel about this story so there's a chance i might take it down, sorry :((   
> I just really loved this idea and i wanted to do smth with it but man college's a bitxh.   
> Lets hope I gain more time and inspiration to finish this, and if not, well, Im extremely sorry I let your'll down :(


	5. What the hell was that? 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Renmin's POV]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to kinda split the pov's into 2 chapters so it would be easier for your'll to read? Anyways, hope my writing style isnt too confusing/shabby.. legit wrote both chaps in one sitting so it might not really be that good? Hope yourll enjoy it anywayy <3

"What the hell was that?" Renjun and Jaemin demand at the same time as they sit down.

"I asked first." Jaemin states.

"No, you didn't, and I don't care." Renjun shoots back. "Spill."

The pink haired boy huffs in resignation, Renjun was stubborn, and Jaemin is yet to win an argument against the tiny boy. 

Jaemin sighs and stirs his drink with his straw. 

"Well I may have stumbled upon this fine establishment while I was on one of my late night coffee runs-"

"How late at night?" Renjun asks, - even though he knows full well what time Jaemin usually gets his random coffee craves, being on the receiving end of making the boy’s death drink one too many times.

"Just after 1 am?" Jaemin asks and he pouts because he's Jaemin and everyone's soft for his pouts.  
Well, everyone that isn't Renjun, because Renjun has now fixed him with the most unimpressed glare and Jaemin almost feels remorseful. (He isn't.)

"Jaemin." 

"I'm not sorry-"

Renjun looks murderous and Jaemin backtracks almost immediately, stumbling over his words.

"Let me finish!" Jaemin all but yells because Renjun is scary (and he's a coward.)

"I'm not sorry _because_ had i not come here that fateful night, I wouldn't have met the cutest barista I’ve ever seen, and we cant have that now can we?."  
Jaemin deadpans and Renjun allows himself to chuckle at that.

"No, I guess we can't." Renjun smiles as he takes a sip of his cappuccino and Jaemin feels relieved. 

"Its surprising how he remembered exactly what drink you ordered the last time though, seems like he might like you, you know." Renjun wiggles his eyebrows and smirks, snaggle tooth making a short appearance and if Jaemin wasn't too busy thinking how cute the boy in front of him would look in an oversized hoodie, he'd have scowled. (no, he wouldn't have.)

Renjun snaps his fingers which effectively gets Jaemin out of his daze, embarrassed, ( _as he should be_ , Renjun thinks) he asks him to repeat what he says.

Renjun repeats, and Jaemin chokes on his coffee. 

"I'm pretty sure he's straight." is the first thing Jaemin says once he calms down. 

Renjun shoots him an unimpressed look and then furrows his eyebrows. "Then how does he remember-" 

"I literally gulped the entire thing in one sip right in front of his eyes. I’m pretty sure i scarred him." Jaemin cuts him off, eyes focused on the nearly empty drink in front of him.

Renjun raises an eyebrow, scrutinizing the boy in front of him. "Why?"

There's a blush creeping up Jaemin's neck as he mumbles, barely audible, "I- I wanted to impress him?"

Renjun snorts back a laugh as he struggles to keep a straight face. "And you decided that scarring him was the best way to go about doing that?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Jaemin groans into his now empty coffee cup and Renjun can't keep his facade any longer. 

"I can't believe you Jaemin. I just- Wow are you a dumbass." He lets off a giggle loud and bright and Jaemin can't help but laugh along.  
"I mean, at least he'll definitely remember me." he concludes, another bright smile, another loud giggle.  
Renjun looks up, towards the counter and catches the eyes of both the barista and the cute boy with the ugly fanny pack, and he smirks, because neither of the two seem to have realised Renjun saw them. (Donghyuck noticed, he just shamelessly kept staring anyway, Renjun being none the wiser.)

Jaemin how ever does notice Renjun's smirk, and sends him a curious glance.

"For a straight man, your boy seems to really enjoy staring at you" Renjun says smugly, watching with satisfaction as Jaemin’s entire face turns a pretty shade of red.

Jaemin groans and moves to take a sip of his coffee before he remembers, it's long since been finished. 

"You're definitely reading into it wrong. I mean, have you seen him? There's no way he'd be into me junnie"

"Maybe, but you'll never really know until you talk to him, you know?" Renjun gives him a soft encouraging smile and Jaemin wonders how exactly one tiny human being could hold so much power.

"Yeah, I guess. Jaemin smiles back. And then he remembers ; "your turn." he says with a smirk.

Renjuns mind goes blank, "Huh?"

"What’s the deal with you and the sassy rainbow?" he jumps straight to the point. A very jaemin move if Renjun's ever seen one.

"He's cute, so were the kittens, his fanny pack? Not so much, so I decided to let him know." Renjun shudders as though said fanny pack terrified him (it did).

"You're unbelievable." Jaemin scoffs and then looks at him with wide eyes. "Wait you called him cute-"

"He was. What’s your point?"

Had they not been in public, Jaemin would have screeched. 

For now, a muffled squeal would do, and so he did.  
To say Renjun is alarmed is an understatement.

"Jaemin what-"

"The last time you said someone was cute was your last crush. you've never found anyone even remotely attractive since yukhei hyung left a year ago. Is this what i think it is?" Jaemins starting to look like an over sized puppy and renjun would find it cute if he wasn’t plotting said boys murder in his mind at this moment.

"I call you cute all the time, it doesn’t mean anything." Renjun tries to regain his composure. 

He fails when Jaemin retaliates with, "Jun the last time you called me cute was four years ago after i had fallen down the stairs and had to get my head bandaged. Even then you were laughing your ass off while saying it."

Renjun wipes a fond (fake) tear as he remembers the incident. 

"In my defence you did look cute. Like a little Mummy." He tilts his head to the side and coos as Jaemin scowls.

"Leaving all head injuries aside," he continues "I think you should go for it." 

"Go for what?" Renjun feigns ignorance.

"You know very well what, Ask him out." Jaemin responds. 

"I don't like him like that. I don’t even know him." Renjun shoots back.

"Well get to then! Take your own advice Jun!" 

Renjun's ready to give in when he notices a certain raven haired barista warily walking towards them, seemingly unsure of himself.

Plan already forming into his evil brain, he turns to Jaemin.

"I will but only if you do. I’m getting you your chance" Renjun hurriedly whispers, and before Jaemin has the chance to process what's about to happen, he hears Renjun use an overly sweet voice to call out, "Hey! Cute barista, come here a second?"

And Jaemin doesn’t have enough time to hide so he settles on sending Renjun an angry glare to which the boy winks and mouths " _Talk to him!_ " before he hears a timid voice behind him.

"Hey." Jaemin hears Jeno say, two (failed) muffled giggles right after, as he turns around to greet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Jaemin is not in love with Renjun I decided to keep this Nomin (Sorry my Norenmin babies) 
> 
> Gonna start writing the next chap tmrw (hopefully) and if i dont, well, im really sorry bc college has been giving more assignments than usual and its a pain. 
> 
> Take all my sarang you beautiful readers <3
> 
> (I hope this lived upto ur expectations)


	6. To New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nomin are bumbling idiots but thank god for Renjun and Hyuck!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say for my self except my attempts at dialogue is almost as whack as my posting schedules. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

"Hey" Jeno says, in the tiniest voice he can muster, and his breath hitches when Cute Guy (he really needs to get his name) turns around and gives Jeno one of his prize winning smiles. 

"Hey" Cute Guy responds, smile never reducing it's brightness, (Jeno's sure he's going to go blind if this boy keeps this up.) 

Jeno doesn't know how to keep the conversation flowing because he's terrible with socialising, so he decides to say the first thing that pops into his mind, which happens to be; "I noticed your hair is still pink." (faintly, he hears both Hyuck and the brunette face palm, but he chooses to ignore them because Cute Guy starts laughing.) 

"Yeah haha, well, the hair dye is strong I guess." He says.

"Cool."

And then they're in silence again, none of them really knowing what to say because it turns out that Cute Guy isn't really good at socializing either - that, or, he just doesn't want to talk to jeno,, and _oh my god am I forcing this poor boy to talk to me? but that wouldn't make sense why would his friend call me over then is this all a plan-_

"You do that often?" Jeno is cut off from his thoughts by Cute Guy staring at him perplexed and by the sound of Little Brunette laughing at him in the background, he figures he was probably staring again. 

Awkwardly, he clears his throat and mumbles out an apology, focusing on a stain on the ground that he was so sure he cleaned up yesterday. 

"So, um, I just came over to, um, ask if your'll wanted a, um, a refill or something." Jeno stutters and this time he hears his best friend give the longest groan before he hears footsteps getting closer to him and it takes him a bucket of will power to not sprint in the other direction when he hears the (fake) sugar-sweet voice of Donghyuck come from mere inches behind him. 

"Oh well would you look at what we have here! It's the midget who doesn't have taste and his, very cute, if I may add, friend!" Donghyuck winks at Cute guy, and Little Brunette sends him a smile that spells nothing but trouble. 

"Oh! Well if it isn't Ugly-Fanny Pack Kid pretending as if he hadn't been standing behind that pot-plant watching the two bafoons this entire time!" he retaliates "how nice of you to finally join us!" 

The attention isn't on him anymore but Jeno doesn't know if he should feel relieved that Hyuck decided to step in and save himself from being a stuttering mess or to be worried that the two of them look like they're about to start a war.

"Hey! Who are you calling a bafoon?" Cute Guy pouts and Jeno lets out a very audible gasp because _Holy crap he looks like an actual puppy when he pouts_

The trio ignore his gasp (thank god) as Hyuck turns to Cute guy to let him know that, "Oh my goodness! I finally found a rival that actually has a chance to out-pout me!" 

"I'm sorry, out-what you now?" Little Brunette looks confused and amused at the same time and Jeno wants to coo at him (he doesn't though, because that would be weird.)

"You heard me short-stuff" 

"It's true actually, Donghyuck here has the strongest pout game you'd ever see." Jeno praises himself internally for regaining some sort of confidence, before continuing, "Haven't seen a single person that's been strong enough to not fall for The Pout" Donghyuck nods his head in agreement and Jeno rolls his eyes.

"But now I'm thinking that perhaps you really could 'out-pout' him, as he says." Jeno concludes as he winks at Cute Guy. 

Taken aback by the sudden rise in confidence, Jaemin blushes, but only for a mili-second because the next thing he knows, he's throwing as much, if not more, confidence back at the barista. 

"Little hard to believe he was the cutest around here when a whole You exists" Jaemin gives the raven haired boy a wink of his own and he immediately sees Jeno's ears go bright red as he stutters something incoherent.

"Woah-hoa look at you Mr.Confident," Donghyuck, if he remembers correctly, whistles, "most definitely rival worthy." the boy decides with a smirk.

"Well since it's quite obvious this won't be the last I hear from your'll, mind giving us names to match your faces to?" donghyuck asks. 

Jaemin grins, all white and sparkly like, before nodding his head, "Sure. I'm Jaemin, Na Jaemin." and he sees Jeno's eyes go wide and sees the boy nod from the corner of his eyes, satisfied, and then they're both grinning. 

"Well Jaemin, Na Jaemin, it's good to be rivals with you."

"As goes for you, Donghyuck..." 

"Lee, it's Lee Donghyuck." 

"As goes for you Lee Donghuck." Jaemin smiles

"Oh my god enough with the formal talk already, what is this? The 80's?" Little Brunette huffs out and Donghyuck shifts his attention to him instead.  
"And what about you, midget? Gonna give us a name or am I going to have to call you every synonym to the word 'short' before you cave?" Donghyuck is grinning wide and proud of himself and both Jeno and Jaemin can't help letting out snorts of laughter at the strangled noise renjun lets out. 

"You're literally an INCH taller than me!" 

"What was that? I'm afraid I wasn't close enough to the ground to hear you dwarfie!"

"That was low."

"Perfect! Just your size the-"

"Renjun! My name is Huang Renjun! Now for the love of god please stop with your lame short jokes or I swear I will not hesitate to fight you."

With the sweetest smile Donghyuck could muster, he looks down at him before he says, "You sure a minuscule little thing like yourself can reach me all the way up here though?", and then dashes to the cafe stools (fanny pack and everything), jumps over the counter and proceeds to run to the back of the cafe. 

It takes Renjun approximately 5 seconds to scream, "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN LEE!" to which a muffled "ONLY IF YOUR TINY LEGS CAN CATCH UP TO ME HUANG" is retaliated from Donghyuck (who is almost through the back exit by now), before he too, takes the same route Donghyuck takes (jumping the counter and everything), and chases the boy all the way out of the cafe, leaving their two friends behind, doubling up with laughter, not an inch shocked as one would think they would be because honestly, both of them expected nothing less from the two hooligans. 

"It's like they were made for each other", Jaemin manages to wheeze out in between bubbles of laughter. 

"You know what, I believe you're right.", Jeno smiles back, barely able to control his own laughter.

Their laughter is cut short though, as a very angry Yuta can be heard screaming through the walls, "WHO LET THE CAT'S INTO THE BAKING ROOM!"

Jeno's face pales, and he mumbles out a quick "Shit", before he gives Jaemin an apologetic grimace and then he too bolts out of the cafe, leaving behind a very amused Jaemin, a few bewildered customers (who had watched the entire ordeal unfold), and a seething Yuta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nomin Coffee Au who? This is a Renhyuck Bickering event only. 
> 
> -
> 
> My posting schedules are very very messy, wbk, but Thank you for reading none the less! Have a nice day <3
> 
> \- 
> 
> Comment and Kudos and Constructive Criticism are very appreciated <3


	7. Nerves and Best Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno chuckles, fond, "of course you'd say that." 
> 
> Donghyuck furrows his eyebrows "what's that supposed to mean?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nohyuck nation, this one's for you <3

"Jeno." 

"What?" 

"Stop pacing around in circles like that. You're giving me a headache" 

"Sorry."

Jeno stops his pacing and sits down next to Hyuck on his tiny sofa instead, and starts chewing on his nails (it's a nervous habit). Hyuck let's out a long painful sigh and then taps the boy on his thigh. 

"Alright come on. Give me your feet." 

Jeno obliges instantly, resting his head on the arm of the sofa, he closes his eyes and let's out a content sigh as Donghyuck presses his thumbs into his feet. 

Donghyuck would always rub soothing circles into the pads of Jeno's feet when ever the boy was riled up or stressed, and somehow, it always managed to calm the older down, it was like, magic or something. 

"What's on your mind babe?" Donghyuck's honey voice rang through the silent apartment. 

Jeno looks at him through one opened eye, "it's nothing big really. just. Ten called me the other day." 

"Your dance instructor, yeah?" 

"Yeah." Jeno closes both eyes again and lets out another sigh. 

"He called because.. because apparently there's going to be a dance competition soon. A very important one. One that could get me into DreamArts Academy if I won it - the most expensive, most prestigious performing arts school that a guy like me could only dream of getting in to." 

"And Ten wants you to enter." 

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. But Jeno answers anyway,

"Yeah he wants me to enter. Said he'd coach me himself, Taeyong wants to help too." 

Jeno rubs at his temples and sighs again.

"I don't see what all this sighing is about then. I say go for it. You've got a pretty good chance of winning, you know?" Donghyuck's voice was soft and encouraging and Jeno feels so at ease around the younger boy. 

Jeno chuckles, fond, "of course you'd say that." 

Donghyuck furrows his eyebrows "what's that supposed to mean?" 

Jeno sits up and looks him straight in the eyes, "I just mean, that, as my best friend, you're obliged to think I'm the greatest dancer, or what ever. It doesn't mean I actually am. There's far more people here that are way better than me. So many people who can win that award, you know?"

He lays his head back down as the room goes silent once again. 

"Well there's no harm in trying." Hyuck's voice is small and unsure. Jeno smiles, almost painfully. 

"I don't think I will, really, I'm still not used to performing in front of really huge crowds, you know this. I'll make an embarrassment of myself. I don't think I'm ready yet. Not for this big of a competition anyway." He looks at the unreadable expression the younger boy is sporting, and continues, "besides. What's the point in trying when I know for a fact that I'm not even gonna win? It's just a waste of-" 

"What makes you so sure you're not gonna win?" 

Jeno sighs, "Hyuckie-"

Donghyuck stops massaging Jeno's feet and pulls Jeno into a sitting position.  
He holds both Jeno's hands and locks his gaze with the olders. 

"No. Don't you _'hyuckie'_ me Lee Jeno. I've known you for 5 years of my life. I know how determined you can be. I've seen with my own eyes the level of skills you possess. Don't for a minute, believe, that the only reason I keep praising your dance skills is because I'm 'obliged to' or what ever bullcrap reason you think it is. I praise your dancing because your dancing **deserves** to be praised.   
And so what if you don't win first place? 

Wouldn't you rather face your fears and put your all into a performance that **may** win rather than not trying anything at all and regretting what could have been, all your life?   
Are you really going to throw this opportunity away, without even **trying** to move further with your dreams? Because I know for a fact that's not the Lee Jeno that I know."   
Donghyuck finishes with a glare sent in Jeno's direction, who's both taken aback and very touched at how much his best friend cares about him. 

Rendered speechless, Jeno reaches out and hugs Donghyuck, willing everything he's feeling to melt out and spread into the warm hug. 

"Thank you for believing in me." Jeno whispers into the smaller boys shoulder, to which donghyuck responds by squeezing the boy slightly before releasing his grip. 

"You know I always will." He winks at the boy before they both burst into giggles. 

"No really, I don't think I'd have even considered signing up if it weren't for you. I owe you one." Jeno smiles at him, and it's bright and genuine, the kind that curls his eyes into little crescents. 

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Donghyuck teases, picking up one of the kittens that wandered into the hall, awakened from his nap by the loud sounds of the boys giggling. "And wait! Does that mean you'll sign up then??" 

Jeno laughs, "Yeah?" He scratches the back of his neck and sits up straighter, "Yeah. I'll sign up." His voice is confident and Donghyuck has a wide, proud grin gracing his features. 

"This calls for a celebration!" The honey skinned male screams in excitement as he thumps the back of Jeno's head with a sofa cushion and Jeno retaliates by thumping him back. "Firstly, rude! You don't just smack people with pillows!" (He ignores Donghyuck's scoff) "and secondly," he matches his smile with Hyuck's, "what kind of celebration are we thinking?" 

Hyuck's eyes light up, "I'm thinking, drunk kareoke-movie night with our two new friends. Perhaps we'd have to turn it into a sleep over if it gets late,, which it would."   
Hyuck wiggles his eyebrows and they both burst into laughter again, effectively waking up Seol and Nal, and bringing them into the hall as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way way way overdue but uh,,, hi? A million apologies for taking so long to get this done but I hope your'll liked this <33


	8. Hangout Turned Sleepover 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's for my soulmate, my literal other half, my biggest fan and number one motivator (the kakashi to my jiraiyah if you will)  
> Happy Birthday shen, this ones for you♡  
> I hope you enjoy <3

"Cool place you got here" Jaemin looks around the room as he toes off his shoes, renjun a step behind, doing the same. 

"Thanks. It's not much," Jeno scratches the behind of his head as he too looks around with a slight smile, "but it's enough." 

Sitting haphazardly on the sofa, donghyuck waves a greeting to the two new comers with a grin, a grin that largens in size when he sees renjun with a bottle of what he can only assume is an alcoholic drink poking out from a plastic bag in his hand. 

Jeno and Jaemin both follow his eyes and Jaemin takes the bag out of Renjun's grip and hands it to Jeno, "we didn't know what to bring so we just grabbed a bottle of vodka a few packets of chips and some of those pint sized tubs of icecream. That alright?" 

"More than." Jeno's grin matches Donghyuck as he sets the bag down on the kitchen counter. He fishes four tubs of the icecream out of the bag and instructs Jaemin to grab some spoons from the little spoon holder placed by the kitchen sink. 

"So tell us, what calls for the sudden celebration?" Renjun throws himself onto the battered couch next to donghyuck, making grabby hands for his tub of icecream and then promptly moves to rest his one leg against Hyuck's middle, momentarily knocking the wind out of Hyuck with the sudden pressure. 

For people they met mere weeks ago, they've all already gotten comfortable enough with each other to pass off as childhood friends. Their personalities complementing each other, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle that's just been completed. 

"It's nothing really" Jeno mumbles around a much too large scoop of icecream.

"Jeno Lee say that one more time and I will smack you." 

He doesn't have to look up from his tub to know that Donghyuck is sending him the dirtiest glare he can muster. And if he had less manners, he'd have thrown a dollup of icecream at the offending gesture, but Jeno's better than that, more composed. So he sticks his tongue out at the boy instead, and buries his face further into his icecream tub, to hide his blush more than anything. 

From the floor opposite the couch where Jaemin took his seat the boy stiffles a laugh at their childish antics, while Renjun who's still across Donghyuck on the couch digs his heel into the boys side, asking Donghyuck to elaborate. 

He removes the boys leg from his side and places it on his lap again instead, and takes another mouth of his icecream. 

"Well ladies, our brilliant little Jeno here-" he blows a kiss to said boy as he hears him groan, "is going to be participating in a fancy shmancy dance competition. And he's gonna try his damn hardest, with all his talantery, to win it." the last part was said with a tinge of determination, directed at Jeno more than the others. 

"Well then we," Jaemin looks up at Jeno who's now sitting beside him, with the same fond look Hyuck usually gives him, "will be there to come scream our asses off in supporting you." 

"Damn right we will." Renjun agrees. 

"Thanks you guys. But you don't ha-" 

"Shut up we're coming whether you want us to or not." Renjun's voice has that hint of finality, the kind that Donghyuck usually has when they're arguing and Jeno knows better than to argue back. So he gives them both a smile and mumbles out another timid "thanks." 

"Text us the details once you get them yeah?" Jaemin says. 

"Definitely." Donghyuck replies for Jeno. 

The room evaporates into a comfortable silence after that, the only sounds being the ones of spoons scraping against tubs, occasional sneezes from Jeno as one or the other kitten tries to get licks out of his nearly finished icecream tub. 

Having had enough of the silence, Donghyuck pushes himself off the couch, eyes wide and gleaming with mischief.  
He turns to them at large, holding his cup out,  
"Has anyone tired icecream and vodka before?"

Jeno stands up abruptly, "Donghyuck no." 

"Donghyuck yes!" 

\---

A few shots each and all four of them are, not drunk per say, just slightly more than tipsy.

Renjun's now completely draped against Donghyuck, complaining about how modern art looks less like art and more like "giant blobs of paint made to make art students lives miserable" and "how the hell can anyone figure out what it's supposed to be if it's all mushed together, you know?" while the latter, bless him, just nods his head, agreeing with Renjun's woes even though he doesn't know a damn thing about art in the first place. 

Jaemin on the other hand, being a bit more tolerable with alcohol than the other three, is now laying down on the floor, giving access to the kittens to use him as a playground, Jeno watching fondly as they jump from Jaemin's shoulders to his belly and then to his knees only to lose its balance and drop a few centimetres to the ground.  
Jaemin shifts his neck in discomfort slightly and Jeno, ever the observant one, moves behind him instantly and taps the boys shoulders for him to move upwards and rest his head on Jeno's lap instead of the hard floor. 

There's a moment where Jaemin looks up and Jeno looks down, breaths hitching as the air around them seems to dissipate and the world seems to stop spinning for a quick second as they keep their gazes locked.

But then Seol is jumping on Jaemin's belly again and the moment is broken. Jeno's cheeks flush and he looks across at the couch to make sure Donghyuck didn't see that because he knows it'll be held over his head for the rest of his life.

He's met instead with the amusing sight of Donghyuck's head now on Renjun's lap, while the smaller plays with his hair, running his fingers through the strands with intense concentration. 

"You know, you have really pretty hair," Renjun speaks, still studying the boys hair as though he had a quiz on it the next day.

"Hmm? Oh, thanks." if the lighting wasn't so bad you might have seen the light pink dusting the boys cheeks. 

"You should let me dye it someday."  
Renjun stops carding his hands through Donghyuck's hair as he sits up abruptly, nearly knocking his head onto Renjun's lip. 

"How about right now?" 

"You want to go buy hair dye right now? In this state? I don't think so" Jeno shoots from the floor. 

Donghyuck scrambles to get off the couch and runs to the adjacent bathroom. It's silent for a bit and Jeno's about to get up to go check what the boy is doing when he hears Donghyuck mumbling and opening a cupboard. He hears the cupboard close and another one open. 

"Hyuck what are you doing?" Jeno shouts from where he's seated, too lazy to get up anymore. 

"I remember-" there's some things being shuffled around, "buying some packets-" more shuffling, "of dye and blea- SHIT" something fell on what sounded like a foot and then there's more shuffling around the bathroom. Jeno and Jaemin both shoot up off the ground but is beat to it by Renjun flashing past them to see what happened. 

Donghyuck's sitting on the closed toilet seat, a bottle of bleach in his hand and a few different coloured packets of hair dye to his side. Smiling through a groan, he proudly presents the bottle that had just caused his foot pain, "I found it!" 

"You, are an absolute idiot." Renjun says, though he's trying to hide a grin. 

"So I've been told." 

The three of them maneuver their way into the bathroom and get Hyuck up, carrying him into the hall to check the damage caused and how serious it was.  
Luckily it was only a slight bruise but that didn't stop him from milking out all the sympathy he could get like the drama queen he was. 

"Do I want to know why I have bottles of bleach and dye hidden around my bathroom?" Jeno asks once everyone's calmed down. 

He gets a sheepish smile in response. 

"Well, I've been wanting to dye our hairs for a while now to be honest but I didn't know how to do it." 

"So you hid them in my bathroom?" 

"Shut uppp I didn't Hide them I just left them there until I figured out how to do it and then I uh, I may or may not have forgotten about them."

"So did you ever learn how to do it?" Renjun asks 

Hyuck atleast has the shame to look slightly embarrassed as he let's out a small dejected "No." 

"Well then atleast you have us now!" Jaemin's smile is wide and hopeful when he looks at Jeno 

"Absolutely not." 

"Can Jaemin and I dye your hairs can we please dye your hairs?" Renjun's giving Jeno sad eyes while Jaemin looks like a kicked puppy and well, he's weak and has no choice but to give in. 

"Fine I guess your'll can." 

The scream of joy all three of them let out is enough to make their neighbour knock their door to tell them to "shut the hell up before I call the police on you unruly vermins." and they burst into fits of giggles once the old man leaves. 

"Okay thats enough now let's get started!" Jaemin exclaims once the laughter subsides.  
"Jeno you're with me. Renjun will take Donghyuck." 

"Sure thing" he mentally praises himself for not stuttering and then goes through the different colours Donghyuck had bought. 

"Hyuck why the hell did you buy Green out of all colours, literally who would even go out in public looking like a whole cabbage?" 

"Hey coffee boy over there has a whole ass Pink head but I don't see you belittling him for going out in public looking like a strawberry." Hyuck retaliates

"First if all, strawberries are red. second, Hey!" Jaemin let's out an affronted huff.

"Listen he's strange anyway so nothing less is expected of him-"

"I'm literally right here??" 

"-and besides, it suits him anyway" Jeno finishes and winks at the boy who's now sporting a slight blush. 

Satisfied with a colour after validating his options a bit longer, he places a packet into Jaemin's hand. "I think I want to try this one."

It's a silvery-white and Jaemin knows he made the right desicion. 

"Alright, come with me." 

Jeno obliges and follows after the boy into his tiny bathroom leaving Hyuck still contemplating which colour to go for. 

"Uh I don't think this place is big enough for both of us to get our hair done at the same time." Jeno fiddles with his fingers. 

"You're right. Okay then Jun and Hyuck go get a movie set up while I do Jeno- Hyuck stop snickering you know what I meant- and then we'll get the chips and drinks and any other edibles Jeno has around his apartment into bowls and stuff while your'll finish up. Sound like a plan?" 

They nod affirmative and get busy. From where he's getting his hair bleached he hears the two fighting over which genre of movie to pick and shouts out his opinions. In the end they choose horror, much to Jeno's chargin. It's not that he hates horror, it's just that he gets scared really easily and horror movies are creepy and yeah he pretty much really hates horror. 

He's broken out of his stupor by jaemin rinsing his hair and then asking if he had a blow dryer.  
Jaemin combs through his hair with one hand while the other dries his hair with the device and he can't help but enjoy how relaxed he feels.  
It ends all too quick and he feels Jaemin covering his eyes with his hand.  
He rolls his eyes but plays along anyway. 

Jaemin breaks apart his hands when they're in front of the mirror and _damn_ he thinks to himself. He looked pretty damn good if he wasn't being modest. 

He gives himself a spin, admiring Jaemin's work from all angles and runs his own hands through his hair. 

"Do you like it? I think it looks amazing." 

Jeno catches his gaze through the mirror and his eyes turn into tiny crescents. 

"I love it min! Thanks so much!" He turns around and hugs the boy behind him and then turns and runs out of the bathroom under the guise of showing off his hair to his best friend (he really just wanted to hide the scarlet on his cheeks from the close proximity of him and Jaemin just now). 

"Woah ho ho look at you best friend!" Donghyuck was clearly impressed, walking up to Jeno and turning him around in different angles to get a better look. He ran his hands through Jeno's hair and looked at him with sparkling eyes.  
"You look sexy."  
Jeno choked on his saliva and whacked the boys hands away from his hair. "Thanks." 

Jaemin chose that moment to come out of the bathroom, supposedly after cleaning up what ever he spilt while working on Jeno's hair and Renjun dragged Hyuck by the hand towards the closing door. 

"Let's see if I can get you nearly as good looking as that shall we?" He teased. 

"Honey please, I'm already as good looking as that." 

They watched the two shuffle inside amusedly and then got to work. 

"I think I had a few packets of corn that we can pop." Jeno opens a drawer and moves some things around. 

"Hey where are the bowls?" Jaemin's standing on tiptoes trying to search for them and Jeno wants to hug him from behind. 

 

He shakes his head of the thought and shows jaemin where the bowls are, telling him to get some cups as well and rinse them in the sink. 

Jaemin obliges and he goes back to looking for the popcorn while the other starts ripping the packets of chips open and spilling it into the bowls - occasionally popping a stray few into his mouth and then Jeno's as well. 

It feels homey - natural. Something in his stomach churns at how startlingly domestic everything seems to be. 

He eventually finds the packets he was looking for buried under a few dish cloths - how? he does not know - and puts one in the microwave. 

While waiting for the third packet to pop, they hear Donghyuck and Renjun coming out of the bathroom, the former calling out for them loudly. 

Donghyuck's hair is a silvery grey, the ends curling up lightly from just being washed. He looks ethereal and Jeno tells him so. 

"Woah dude. No homo, but that colour looks seriously hot on you." Jaemin winks at the boy and Donghyuck winks right back; _little flirt._

"What do you mean 'No homo' Jaemin you're like the gayest one here" says Renjun. 

"Hush that was an expression." 

"One that certainly doesn't apply to you but okay." 

The microwave notifies them that the popcorn is done and Jeno silently thanks it for a distraction and a change in subject. 

Emptying the last bit of popcorn into the slightly overflowing bowl, he instructs the others to grab the rest of the cups and bowls and what had remaind of the drink and then made their way to the living room area. 

Renjun and Donghyuck took the couch again, there was room for one more but when Jaemin saw Jeno making to sit on the floor infront of the couch, he decided he'd join. 

Jeno didn't say anything out loud but the happy smile he let out gave Jaemin a clear message of his gratitude.


	9. Hangout Turned Sleepover 2/2

Half way into the movie had Jeno screwing his eyes shut, thrashing his head into Jaemin's side to shield himself from the grotesque figures on the screen, Renjun on the couch in a similar predicament. Both flinching way too violently for people who insisted they "definitely weren't scared."

So, with much protest from Donghyuck, they decided to switch it off, in favour of plugging in the kareoke machine Hyuck got for his birthday instead.

"I didn't know you could sing?" Renjun said as Donghyuck flicked through the songs looking for his favourite. 

"Like an Angel" Jeno said, from where he was now sprawled over the couch, poking jaemin in the ribs every 10 seconds as a makeshift request to feed him popcorn from the bowl. 

"You could just get up and come take the popcorn yourself you know." Jaemin said, mock annoyed. 

"I could, yes, but I don't want to."  
He opened his mouth again and Jaemin rolled his eyes before shoving a handful into his mouth, effectively getting Jeno to choke causing the boy to sit up quickly.  
He glared at the younger boy playfully and got a flirtatious wink in response. 

Their playful banter was cut short when Donghyuck exclaimed, informing them that he had finally found the song he was looking for.  
It was Secret Love Song by Little Mix, because of course it would be.

The room got quiet as the soft instrumental of the song began playing, and Donghyuck's smooth-like-honey voice rang through the apartment as he belted out the first few lyrics of the song. Renjun and Jaemin gasped because Jeno was right, he really did sing like an angel. 

By the time he reached the chorus, eyes screwed shut, feeling every word of the song in the most dramatic way possible, Renjun had decided he'd join. 

If Donghyuck alone was amazing, the two of them together harmonised in a way that one might have mistaken them for what would greet them at the Gates of Heaven.  
They were enthralling, even in their semi drunken state they sang as if they were born to sing. Where one lacked the other made up for ten fold. Their voices complimented each other's like syrup would to pancakes. 

At some point during the song they stopped moving around and faced each other, singing their hearts out as if they were the only two in the room, as if they were the only things that mattered to either of them. 

It was an amusing sight really, to a third party.  
Donghyuck softened down the fluffs of Renjun's hair, looking into his eyes with a sort of rich fondness as Renjun screwed his eyes shut and hovered his palm over Donghyuck's cheeks, cupping them eventually as they got to the bridge of the song. They sang that part together and it was loud and beautiful and Jeno and Jaemin were pretending to sob hysterically as the two finished the song. 

Coming down from their high they seemed to remember, with a jolt, that they did in fact have company.  
Company who were looking at them with amusement and something else in their eyes that neither of them could decipher in their current state. But if he tried, Donghyuck would think the look in Jeno's eyes resembled that of a Knowing look, though what he knew and why Jeno looked at him like that was beyond him. 

"That was... truly something" Jaemin said. 

"I didn't know you could sing either" Donghyuck addressed renjun, eyes gleaming. 

"You never asked" Renjun shrugged 

Jeno and Jaemin went next, they weren't half as captivating as the previous two, but they weren't terrible either so they counted it as a win any way. 

The rest of the night was spent in more singing, some dancing on Jeno's end (to which renjun and jaemin were left speechless), a little bit of nostalgia as they exchanged childhood stories with each other while finishing the rest of the snacks, and a whole lot of fun.

By the time they actually felt sleepy it was well past 3 am, and neither boy really fancied brushing their teeth and changing into pyjamas.  
But they were sticky with sweat and crumbs and a little bit of drink that Donghyuck had accidently knocked down and somehow managed to get onto all of them and it felt gross, so they trudged into the bathroom one after the other eventually and got themselves freshened up.

"I uh, didn't really bring extra clothes with me" Jaemin mummered softly when it was his turn to use the bathroom. 

"Me neither actually, your'll didn't really say it would turn into a sleep over." Renjun said. 

"Oh" Jeno said lamely, "Well you could borrow some of mine I don't mind." 

"I doubt I could fit into your clothes Jeno." Renjun said, "No offence but they'd be way too big on me." 

He sucked on his bottom lip in thought but before he could say anything Donghyuck came into the room after changing into his night clothes. 

"I usually just wear Jeno's stuff when I come here but I do have a drawer full of my clothes too if you want? We're nearly the same size I hardly think mine would be too big on you." Donghyuck offered with a smile. 

After a second or two of contemplation Renjun agrees, and follows Donghyuck to Jeno's room to pick out a pair of clothes, Jeno and Jaemin trailing after. 

Once they're all freshened up, they have the cliché squabble of who takes the bed and who takes the couch.  
Except there's too many of them to really all take the bed so they make do with sleeping on the floor instead, pulling the mattress off of Jeno's bed and then combining it with the cushion of the couch; converting it into a makeshift bed big enough for all four growing boys to sleep somewhat comfortably. 

Renjun's squished between Donghyuck and Jaemin while Jeno makes the rear, flattened against Jaemin's side.

It's a bit of a squeeze, but somehow it feels right. Feels like home.

Only the sound of light breathing and occasional soft purring flits around the room.  
And the slight tap tapping of Jeno's phone keyboard as he sends a message before switching it off and nuzzling into Jaemin's side, allowing sleep to wash over him as it did the others. 

 

\---

 

 **Dancer Legend Hyung**  
Come into practice tomorrow at around 11  
_10:33pm_

 **Dancer Legend Hyung**  
There's some new moves I want you to start working on immediately for the competition  
_10:35pm_

 **Dancer Legend Hyung**  
Yong will be there too, he's gonna help come up with some choreo.  
Don't be late kid  
_10:35pm_

 **Jenono**  
Aye aye captain  
_3:47am_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and constructive criticism is appreciated! I lovedddd writing these two chapters! lmk what your'll thought of it♡

**Author's Note:**

> i love getting your comments and kudos so lmk if you enjoyed this!  
> give me motivation♡  
> [Cc](https://curiouscat.me/Hyuckleberries) [Twt](https://twitter.com/hyuckleberrypie)
> 
> Love your'll <3


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